Torture, and Democracy, the American Way

As Mark reported, a fair amount of the discussion Friday night centered around interrogation technology. Unfortunately, it's been made clear the last few days, U.S. Military Intelligence has been utilizing far more primitive techniques in Iraq. (Thank God for "veteran investigative journalist[s]" (old-timers) like Seymour Hersh!) For a particularly damaging indictment, see today's editorial in the Army Times.

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Rheingold's treatise begnis with the question of why texting hasn't taken off in the U.S. like it has in other parts of the world. He attributes this to the U.S. operators pricing policies, failure to bridge the gaps between different carriers, and marketing to the thirty year old executive as opposed to the U.S. teenager. With the exception of the desktop computer, that's the way all new technology is distributed. It begnis with the wealthy and influential and trickles down to the masses. In the beginning only those affluent consumers had cell phone technology and as the price of the services declined only then did the parents of those teenagers share these new devices with the youth.Rheingold maintains that the youth are the early adopters of mobil communications. I maintain that to be fiction. The adults were the early adopters, because they had the money. They just used the phone in the same manner as alway, as phones. They provided their children with the new devices, so they could stay in contact with them.The youth embraced the new medium because it allowed them to communicate with their peers not only in a manner foreign to teachers and parents but also in a newly created language all their own.As Obama announced his Vice Presidential running mate, over the weekend, via text message, can we conclude that once again, the medium is the message.Again, Rheingold presents the question, what do people gain from virtual communities that keeps them sharing information with people they might never meet face to face? Could it be the same thing that makes the young men find it easier to ask for a date via text than in person? That fear of rejection.Rheingold establishes that blogs and virtual communities now provide the common man with a forum from which to express themselves whether they are subject knowledgeable or talented communicators.He concludes by stating that smart mob technologies present three potential threats. The threat to liberty, quality of life, and human dignity. I would like to think that the inverse is also true. Smart mob technologies can provide us with security, improved quality of life, and elevated self-esteem